The Crucible

Well, what a dark play to see on a bright summer’s evening! Taken from true stories of the witch trials of 1692 in  Puritanical Salem, Massachusetts. A group of young girls are discovered dancing in the wood by the local minister and talk of witchcraft ensues. A series of hearings and prosecutions take place aided by mass hysteria, and a number of people are unfairly executed. 

The darkness is a theme throughout. The open stage is very bare, with black cut out silhouetted trees at the back of the stage with a more realistic looking tree at one side, later to show the hangman’s noose from its branch. Chairs, benches, a desk and a table were all that was required to depict a bedroom, a house, a meeting house and a jail, all moved seamlessly by the backstage team. Lighting gave appropriate colour to match the moods throughout, with spots well positioned. Costumes in the Puritan style were good .

The tragic hero of the story, John Proctor (Stef Hallett) and his wife, Elizabeth (Jena Price) are perfectly cast, and their on-stage chemistry is what makes their tragedy so compelling to watch. Stef shows a confident authority and is a hugely enjoyable leading presence on stage.  Every emotion portrayed was unquestionably convincing, the highlight being the final moments of the second act in which his wife is accused was the most powerful scene of the performance. JP Vieu gave a splendid performance as Rev. John Hale – a clergyman who initially supports the accusations of witchcraft, but who changes his mind and tries to save the lives of John and Elizabeth Proctor. He is a man riven with guilt at his own part in their downfall. The only way Proctor can save his life is by perjuring himself with a false confession to witchcraft. Hales sees the irony of trying to achieve good by means of what is morally wrong, as he urges Proctor to lie to the authorities. That authority came in the form of Judges Danforth and Hawthorne (John Winson and Mike Densham) determined to have their justice. John and Elizabeth’s accuser Abigail Williams was skilfully played by Georgina Lithco showing the manipulative side of Abigail.

I would like to give acting credit to each and every one of the cast, too numerous to name individually, because they had their own character, which added in the telling of this story. Congratulations must be given to Callum McFarland for his directing debut. He didn’t make it easy on himself with the choice of a powerful play, with a powerful message needing powerful acting but that is just what we got!

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